Sporting guns are subjected to heavy charges, i.e. magnum loads etc., and the recoil is commensurately great. Needless to say, continuous shooting with these heavy loads is discomforting to the person firing the gun, namely the impact that must be sustained by the shoulder of the person when the butt of the stock impacts thereagainst. Accordingly, it is a general object of this invention to provide damper means by which recoil is reduced, it being the shotgun with which this invention is primarily concerned.
Heretofore, the recoil of sporting guns, namely shotguns, has been controlled generally by weight of the firearm. However, it is highly desirable that such guns be lightweight, and as a result heavy charges have their effect of increasing the recoil to uncomfortable limits. Various anti-recoil concepts have been proposed but none of which have been particularly desirable, gas discharge and/or the cumbersomeness of added weight being a problem.
The burning rate of the gun powder also has its effect, and a peculiarity of recoil is its greater magnitude at the end of the firing cycle, as and when the shot leaves the barrel. This does not nullify the build-up of recoil as the shot is accelerated, but it has been observed that this phenomenon does exist. Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide recoil means that is effective during the latter part of the firing cycle in order to reduce that portion of the recoil which is known to be of the greater magnitude.
In accordance with the present invention, an inertia damper is shifted by gas pressure during the early portion of the firing cycle, to be returned by a buffer spring during the latter portion of the firing cycle. The pressure curve of the burning explosive and the acceleration of the projectile or shot are taken into consideration herein, and also that these forces are imposed from beyond the end of the gun barrel, or from the muzzle. It is an object therefore, to provide a damper means that advantageously employs the build-up and drop-off of gas pressures within the gun barrel, to shift an inertia weight forwardly at a relatively slow rate as gas pressure builds up and to release the same for return by the buffer spring during the latter portion of the firing cycle, so as to reduce the recoil. In practice, but a small portion of the explosive gas is taken for this operation.